Gaza: The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the Gaza Strip is currently experiencing the worst-case scenario of famine, according to a warning issued this week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement Thursday, the organization said that people go without food for days, and others die because their malnourished or severely weakened bodies succumb to disease or organ failure. It explained that while the healthcare system is expected to be a source of sustenance and relief, Gaza's health system lacks basic medical supplies, fuel, and other necessities required to function fully; even humanitarian workers and health professionals are growing weak from hunger.
The organization pointed out that starvation means a slow and painful death. A hungry child, among the most vulnerable and at-risk groups, may cry continuously from pain until too weak to cry, and a severely malnourished child will lose their life if not treated urgently. It stated that stopping the bleeding of lives and reversing the course of this man-made tragedy will take months, if not years, as treating someone suffering from malnutrition requires specialized medical care, proper therapeutic nutrition, and precisely tailored nutritional supplements.
It confirmed that the consequences in some severe cases can be lifelong, ranging from stunted growth and impaired brain development to other permanent health complications. IPC partners, including the World Health Organization, will continue to conduct further assessments, but the severity of the situation is evident. The organization stressed the urgent need to allow the entry of food, medicine, and all forms of aid on a large scale through all possible routes, noting that these supplies are ready with UN partners and waiting at border crossings.
The WHO called on Israel to expedite facilitating the access of the United Nations and other humanitarian actors, ensuring safe, rapid, and unobstructed access to deliver and distribute aid, end the suffering, and implement a ceasefire.